Learning and Teaching Aims, Goals and Objectives John Wade Faculty of Law

Exercise – What has been your experience of trying to write out goals ?  enjoyable to begin with  then frustrating  then overwhelming lists  then platitudinous formulae

Traditional educational literature vaguely distinguishes between formal and informal; teacher & student & institutional  AIMS – ‘big’ changes to knowledge, skills and attitudes – eg ‘to think critically’; ‘to be a creative dissenter to conformity’  GOALS – ‘mid-level’ changes - to improve ‘problem-solving’ process and skills’ – eg to be able to develop diagnosis of causes and a range of interventions to: infection, conflict, profit loss, difficult people, social injustice, depression etc.  OBJECTIVES – specific performance of new tasks to defined levels in specified conditions.

Why do you think that there is an apparent surge of interest in the defining of goals?  Increase of “managers” at universities –they are accustomed to “goal” setting  Marketing in a competitive environment—our unique graduates  Era of accountability to students and funders— value for $?  Institutional investigations—AUQA  Discovery of educational theory?  Models from continuing adult education, etc

My AIM (may not be yours!) of this class is:  AIM – to think critically about the concepts of educational ‘AIMS’.  GOAL – to be able to write aims, goals and objectives of courses at different levels of specificity and to understand the historic advantages and disadvantages of this process.  OBJECTIVE – for each participant to write; within the next week; a list of at least 10 aims, goals, and objectives, ranging from general to very specific, and distribute it, and discuss it, for at least 15 minutes with students in the next course taught.

LEARNING ECOSYSTEM PRESAGE PROCESSPRODUCT (J Biggs, Teaching for Quality learning at University (1999) p.18) STUDENT BASED FACTORS Prior knowledge Abilities Motivation Conception of learning Language competence TEACHING CONTEXT Curriculum Method Assessment Climate Conception of Teaching APPROACH TO TASK Surface Deep Achieving LEARNING OUTCOME Quantitative Qualitative Institutional Affective

Table 1 – Three Prototypical Approaches to Learning Approach Motive Strategy Surface Extrinsic: Avoid FailureFocus on selected but don’t work too hardSelected Details & but don’t work too hardSelected Details &Reproduce Deep Intrinsic – SatisfyMaximise Understanding Curiosity About TopicRead widely, discuss Curiosity About TopicRead widely, discussReflect Achieving Achievement: CompeteOptimise organisation for Highest Gradesof time & Effort for Highest Gradesof time & Effort (“Study Skills”) (Biggs, “Teaching for Better Learning” ( ) 2 Legal Educ Rev 133 at 138)

“Deep learning” is a label which attempts to summarise desirable PROCESSES and OUTCOMES for an individual or group in relation to the development of emotions, knowledge, attitudes and skills: 1. Connection of new to what is already known 2. Emotional engagement while learning (fun, pain?) 3. Sense of control while learning 4. Tolerance of complexity and ambiguity 5. Developing curiosity 6. Skill of applying knowledge to new situations 7. Conviction that the learning and development is personally important and ‘meaningful’ 8. Transformation of perspective on the world

Exercise Write out in your own words the range of emotions, knowledge, attitudes and skills which are the OPPOSITE to this description of “Deep Learning” DEEP LEARNING SHALLOW LEARNING 1. Connection old to new 2. Emotionally engaged 3. Sense of control 4. Tolerance of complexity 5. Curiosity 6. Skill of applying “old” to the “new” 7. Personal importance of what is being learned 8. Transformation of perspectives on the world

What are the alleged Advantages of describing A,G,O?  self discipline and humility  discovery of self ignorance and confusion  measurement criteria for claiming “success” or failure during or at end of course  sense of direction for students and teacher

Traps in devising objectives, goals and aims? FFFFormulaic aim attached to any topic! VVVVagueness AAAAll objectives attached to measurable criteria FFFFormulaic sophisticated aims not reflected in learning ecosystem LLLLists of unranked, superhuman goals DDDDictatorial; insufficient flexibility for “smart” students

Performance Objectives Exercise Write out at least one “performance objective” for a course in which you are involved. It must (1) precisely describe an outcome by numbers; (2) which the student will perform in a certain time; (3) under certain specified conditions; (4) to a certain level of accuracy, eg Family Law. “By the end of this course every student will/should be able to recite by memory the 7 process elements for the division of matrimonial property; in less than 2 minutes; without prompting; with no more than one error.”

 A commonly expressed goal is to ‘cover’ a number of topics; or ‘study, overview, familiarise, survey, touch upon, investigate … a number of ‘topics’.  Why do we use this phrase ‘cover’? What are the goals behind the word ‘cover’?

Sources for ‘content’ of subject or school curriculum?  Tradition (my old notes)  Current developments in other universities  Areas which students say are difficult  ‘New’ areas not discussed in texts  Areas of teacher’s research and enthusiasm  Perceived pressure from the ‘profession’  What is on the exam  Perceived grand, eternal themes  Balance with total curriculum ‘continuum’  “My Book” – prescribed or in preparation (See Ramsden, p 136-7)

Five types of law school teachers  Traditional legal scholar  Practitioner scholar  Clinical law teacher  Interdisciplinarian  Activist teacher

Exercise Write out say ten “big” recurrent themes in a subject you teach which you want students – (a) To know by rote (b) Be able to identify as they recur (c) Which will serve them well long term in their lives

Recurrent Themes in Family Law 1. FEMALE POVERTY 2. PRIVATE AND PUBLIC OBLIGATIONS TO SUPPORT FAMILIES – THE SHIFTING BALANCE 3. COMMERCIAL VERSUS FAMILY INTERESTS 4. THE MOVEMENT FROM DISCRETION TO RULE (AND BACK AGAIN) 5. VIOLENCE IN THE HOME 6. SELF HELP, CONTEMPT AND ENFORCEMENT DILEMMAS 7. RESPONDING TO PLURALISM 8. THE UNIFIED FAMILY COURT – GRASPING A VISION 9. CONFLICT RESOLUTION – A SMORGASBOARD OF APPROACHES 10. INSIGHTS BY OUTSIDERS 11. POWER OVER CHILDREN’S LIVES 12. DISAPPROVAL OF UNORTHODOX FAMILIES

Mediation Second Wave Research Questions  Taxonomy - what categories of mediation exist?  Diagnosis – which conflict types to which kind of mediation?  Diagnosis – what adaptations across cultures and language?  Micro-skills in a successful mediation?  Systematic comparison of cost, user satisfaction, settlement rates and durability of: Different models of mediationDifferent models of mediation NegotiationNegotiation CounsellingCounselling MediationMediation LitigationLitigation ArbitrationArbitration  Referral practices and values of gatekeepers to mediation?  How to market mediation more widely?  How to improve standards of mediation practice?